Spark-arrester for locomotives.



P. E. CUNNINGHAM & R. REID. SPARK ARRESTER FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEBO, I911.

. 1,02 3, Patented June4,'1912.

STATES PATENT onnion. If

PATRICK EDWARD CUNNINGHAM AND REGINALD REID, OF CI-IIDLOWS WELL, WEST- ERIN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA, ASSIGNOBS OF ONE-HALF TO VALENTINE .MURE FITZ-I-IUGI-I, OF DOODLAKIN, AUSTRALIA. a

SPARK-ARRES'IEB FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedJune 4., 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, PATRIoK EDWARD CUNNINGHAM and REGINALD Rnro, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, and residing at Chidlows e11, Western. Australia, Commonwealth of Australia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spark-Arresters for Locomotives, of which the following is a specification.

This spark arrester for locomotives and other steam boilers essentially consists in the use of rotatable fans or bladed wheels which are so arranged and adapted as to be driven by the action of the exhaust steam. The said fans rotate horizontally upon their axes and thus work in a vertical plane. These fans are so arranged that their bladed peripheries overlap and on each side are provided with gearing which governs and controls their accurate working with each other as in true companionship.

Our invention will now be explained by the aid of the attached drawings in which-- Figure 1 is a front elevation of our arrester as fitted to the funnel of the smoke box while Fig. 2 is a plan view of same. Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged detail plan and side views respectively of the fan construction and part broken away as shown. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing one of the devices for detachably connecting the blades to the cheek plates.

In said drawing a are the rotary companion fans or solid bladed wheels keyed on their spindles Z) and built in and arranged within the outer funnel 0 and so set and ad justed that their peripheries overlap as shown and the respective blades work inter gear wise with each other. These fan blades on their one face as shown carry outstanding or projectional plates a whose duty is during the rotation of the fans "to better deflect and catch the up flowing sparks. The fan blades are built removably on their shafts and are held transversely between two end or cheek plates a and these plates are of a lesser diameter than the blades and thus allow the latter to overlap with each other as shown. The ends of the fans are therefore closed except for those spaces which exist between the peripheral edges of the blades a and the end plates a The fan blades by preference are removably secured to the end cheek plates a for purpose of the .fansbeing easily cleaned and brushed and said plates are made with radial grooves or channels as (Z in which the blades are held and are provided with spring tongues as (Z on their end edges and said tongues nest into suitable pockets d in the cheek plates and thus hold the fan blades securely in position. The shafts of these companion fans are operatively connected together at each side as shown in Fig. 2 by the transverse shafts 0 having bevel gears f which mesh with the pinions g on the fan shafts 'b. By means of this bevel gearing the fans are maintained in true and uniform Working companionship. The fans are arranged immediately above the mouth of the inner funnel 71, while a spark catchment chamber as j is continued downward and around the smoke box is as shown in Fig. 1. This chamber is provided with a flap door 1% through which the dead sparks are removed.

The exhaust steam pipe is denoted by the letter a.

The working of our arrester is mainly as follows :The exhaust steam upon issuing from the pipe n strikes against the fan blades thereby rotating said fans a with the result that these fans act as live and moving barriers against the escape of the live sparks through the mouth of the funnel h and said sparks'are deflected and returned into the smoke box in or into the spark catchment chamber j and removed through the door m. The overlap of the fans combined with their closed ends prevents any sparks from escaping up through the outer funnel c.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A spark arrester comprising, in combination, a casing, a pair of cooperatively arranged 'revoluble spark-arresting members therein having blades, the blades of one member interengaging with the blades of the opposed member, an operative connection between said members for insuring rotation thereof in predetermined relation, and a funnel contained in said casing for directing exhaust steam and products of combustion only against the interengaging blades of said members, said funnel forming sparkcollecting chambers at opposite sides thereof and directly beneath the outer peripheral portions of said bladed sparkarresting members.

2. A spark arrester comprising in combination, a casing, a pair of cooperatively arranged revoluble spark-arresting members therein having blades, the blades of one member interengaging With the blades of the opposed member, means for causing rotation of the bladed spark-arresting members to maintain a predetermined relation between the interengaging blades thereof, and a funnel for projecting exhaust steam and products of combustion against the interengaging blades of said members, the outlet of said funnel having its Walls arranged below and Within the space between the axes of said members, spark-receiving chambers be- 15 ing formed Within the casing and exteriorly of said funnel, said chambers being directly below the outer peripheral portions of said members. i

In testimony whereof We have hereunto 20 set our hands in presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

WVitnesses RICHARD SPARROW,

U. W. BURKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. -G. 

